How an NFL journeyman blacked out and gave the Falcons another improbable victory
ATLANTA — KhaDarel Hodge’s left thigh pad has the silhouette of a guitar on it. His right thigh pad reads “Rock Out” in script letters. They’re the remnants of a touchdown celebration he engineered while playing in Cleveland, one of many stops in a long and largely anonymous football career.
Hodge mimes breaking a guitar, taking another out of the case and playing air guitar. Thursday evening would have been the perfect time for that. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver blacked out, he said.
Hodge, a backup wide receiver on the field only because Drake London suffered an injury on the previous play, caught a 45-yard touchdown pass in overtime to give the Falcons a walk-off 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I blacked out. I came back to, and the next thing I knew I was on the ground,” Hodge said. “Hopefully I get back into the end zone and don’t black out, and I can actually celebrate.”
Hodge’s touchdown gave the Falcons (3-2) their most improbable victory in an already jam-packed season. Atlanta’s decisive scores in the three victories all came within the final 36 seconds of regulation time or overtime. Thursday marked the second time this season that the Falcons won a game in which they had less than a 5 percent chance of winning at one point, according to Next Gen Stats. They achieved no such victories between 2016 and 2023.
KHADAREL HODGE CALLED GAME#TNFonPrime | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/vtKobQt7gc
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 4, 2024
So perhaps it was fitting that this victory was sealed by Hodge, who was born in D’Lo, Miss., played collegiately at Alcorn State, Hinds Community College and Prairie View A&M and made four stops in the NFL, holding on to a job mainly because of his special teams ability.
“Red, we call him Red, he’s played all camp and shows up on special teams all the time,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “Coming from Prairie View, you have to have some serious tape to get noticed outside of college, so it didn’t really surprise me because I thought, ‘That’s probably how he got into this league and probably why’ he has remained in this class.’ I’m so grateful that we didn’t have to trot our offense into the red zone at the 3-yard line. He just ended it.”
Hodge’s catch pushed Cousins past 500 passing yards in a game for the first time in his 13-year career. Cousins finished 42 of 58 for 509 yards and four touchdowns, not only setting his own personal yardage mark but also the Falcons’ franchise record of 503 yards, set by Matt Ryan in 2016. As if the game had any more needed storylines, Ryan was in the building Thursday as he was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor at halftime.
“I just wanted Matt to have a special night,” Cousins said.
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Even during Cousins’ historic night, Hodge got all the attention in the locker room after the game. Teammates Zach Harrison and Ruke Orhorhoro repeatedly watched clips of his play and shouted as Hodge was surrounded by nearby media members. At 12:15 p.m., Hodge’s cell phone had 160 text messages, and they were still coming in.
It was Hodge’s second touchdown in five days. He recovered a muffed punt for a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 4 win over the New Orleans Saints. He had one touchdown in his previous six seasons.
“The last two weeks have been wild and nothing but a blessing for me. I pray every night for times like this,” said Hodge. “I’m just praying to get into the end zone somehow. To be able to play on special teams and then come back and get it like that, I’m so grateful, and I thank God for it.”
Speak your mind, Hodge! 🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/skmKwNAWN5
—NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
Darnell Mooney ribbed Hodge after the game because he was in tears on the field after his catch.
“I’m probably going to have a hard time in the conference room,” Hodge said. “I tried to hold back the tears, but they came out. The people close to me know what I have been through and the opportunities I am praying for. The guys in the locker room will tell you it’s well deserved because I put so much work into it.’
“He worked his butt off,” Falcons safety Richie Grant said. “If there’s anyone who deserves this moment, it’s him. The last one off the field every day.”
Hodge hit 19.7 mph on his way to the end zone, the second-fastest speed of his career, according to Next Gen Stats, which calculated the play as the sixth-most improbable touchdown in the NFL this season.
KhaDarel Hodge reached a top speed of 19.70 MPH on his game-winning TD reception in overtime, his second-fastest speed as a ball carrier in his career.
Hodge’s touchdown was the sixth-most improbable touchdown reception of the season (0.03% probability).#TBvsATL | @AtlantaFalcons pic.twitter.com/NMXzEP0aod
— Next Generation Statistics (@NextGenStats) October 4, 2024
“When I saw their high knees start moving, I threw my hands in the air and started screaming,” said London, who had 12 catches for 154 yards. “I think he surprised some people.”
“That’s special, man,” punt returner Avery Williams said. “He fully deserves it. It’s just nice to see something like that happen to someone like him, who is dedicated. It is extremely detailed. He’s a great teammate.”
Hodge, who joined the league as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, had 57 catches for 864 yards and one touchdown in 97 games before Thursday night. He led the Falcons in special teams tackles in 2022 and leads again this year.
“They’re going to have to kick me out of the NFL,” he said. “I’m going to work hard every day. To have moments like this shows, “Just stay steady, keep going, no matter what’s going on.” Misfortune will strike. Sometimes you feel like you’re not there anymore, but you just have to keep working and keep praying.”
Hodge was one of seven Falcons to catch a pass against Tampa Bay (3-2) as Atlanta gained 550 yards, its highest total since 2016. Cousins passed for 253 yards in the first half and 256 yards in the second half and overtime, becoming the first player in NFL history to top 250 yards before and after halftime in a single game, according to OptaSTATS.
Not bad, considering he thought the game was over when he threw an interception to linebacker Lavonte David on fourth-and-15 at the Atlanta 28-yard line with 1:52 left in the game and the Falcons trailing by 30- 27.
“I walked off the field and thought, ‘There it is; we weren’t able to do it,’ but the defense stepped up,” Cousins said.
After Atlanta’s defense forced a three-and-out, Cousins and the Falcons went 46 yards in 1:14 seconds to set up Younghoe Koo’s tying 52-yard field goal as time expired. The Falcons won the overtime coin toss and scored on their first possession.
“I’ve had some crazy games and a lot of them I’ve been on the losing side, so to have one like that, overtime, walk-off, at home, on a Thursday night, against a great football team in the division, it’s a great performance and it shows a lot of character and resilience,” said Cousins. “It was a great evening, one I will never forget.”
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
